


Five Things Dale Saw From Heaven

by lizznotliz



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:07:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28558809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizznotliz/pseuds/lizznotliz
Summary: The dead are not omniscient. Dale doesn't know everything that's ever happened, nor everything that is happening right now. But he can see it - what's going on back in the Waking World - if he wants to, if he focuses.(Spoilers through TUC 2x08)
Relationships: Sofia Bicicleta/Dale Lee
Comments: 5
Kudos: 40





	Five Things Dale Saw From Heaven

**Author's Note:**

> Just a heads up: Sofia does not drink in the actual story, but her alcoholism is referenced and briefly discussed.

The dead are not omniscient.

Dale doesn't know everything that's ever happened, nor everything that is happening right now. But he can see it - what's going on back in the Waking World - if he wants to, if he focuses. It's always a decision, though, whether to keep working on casing Heaven's defenses and figure out another way past the angels or to look down on Sofie and see how she's doing. Some days, seeing her is motivating; other days, it's devastating how desperately he wants to be beside her. He tries not to look down on her _too_ often.

But he sees things.

**one. first fist of the monastery of the midnight sun**

Jackson sticks around the Order long enough that he gets to be the one to induct Sofia. Cindy is there, too, obviously, as the abbess, but as long as the current First Fist is leaving voluntarily, they get to do the honors. Jackson still looks pretty wrecked, worn out in a way that Dale never imagined Jackson could look; he hopes that his old mentor will take comfort in his retirement and not focus on the unfairness of it all.

Sofia, though.

Sofia looks radiant and strong and proud, and she's always been all of those things but Dale's never seen her quite like _this_ , like the dial on her everything has been cranked up to eleven. He is - not for the first time and certainly not the last - completely bowled over by his wife, by her beauty and confidence and the depth of his love for her. His wife is the _Chosen One_ , his wife is the _First Fist_. To have her back in the same halls that he walked, to be joining the same organization he served, to have her reach higher and further and be honored with a title he never managed to achieve is...

Dale watches from Heaven, weeping with joy, aching with the physical distance between them. He didn't know he could love Sofia this much.

**two. alcoholics anonymous**

He's getting the hang of things, the weak spots in the angel rotations that let him and the Questing Blade slide through on visits. It's easier than he expects, and he reminds himself to leave another thank you note for Ricky the next time he's in the Waking World. He needs a few more days before he can escape again, so he checks in on Sofia just for... just because he can.

She's not at the apartment, or the Monastery, or the Society's headquarters; she's just sitting in a basement, well-lit but rather drab, on a metal folding chair. Sofia's chewing on her lip and twisting her hands in her lap and it's been a long, long time since he's seen her so nervous and unsettled. There are a few other people around, disposable coffee cups in white-knuckled grips, and there's a friendly but solemn air to the place. Dale watches, enraptured, as an older woman stands in front of the group, introduces herself, and tells them she's an alcoholic.

Dale doesn't really breathe anymore, but the relief he feels all of a sudden is like taking in a big gulp of fresh air after you've stayed underwater just a touch too long. Sofia's drinking was hard not to notice; it had started with his disappearance and then gotten worse after she found out about his death, but Kugrash's ascension and the weight of her responsibilities at the Monastery had only exacerbated the problem. He had considered, more than once, broaching the subject on one of his visits, but they were often so quick and spur-of-the-moment that the joy of seeing each other eclipsed any other conversational topics. If he was honest with himself, the fact that his death had helped push her down this path had left him feeling guilty and unsure of how to talk to her about it.

But she's here, in this basement, listening to other people's stories with a focus that he can only admire, and he's so incredibly grateful that Sofie's strong enough to take care of herself.

**three. tax season**

There's-- no, Sofie, that's not the right form. They're going to send it right back to you to redo if you submit that one. You-- yeah, you need the receipts from-- okay, that's fine, but you still need the other form.

Dale paces Heaven, fingers itching, wondering if he could appeal to St. Peter for a leave of absence just to file some taxes. It would be so quick. God, there are so many deductions to consider, he can't believe he left her alone on Earth to deal with this herself.

**four. new years eve at the clinton hill chantry**

Sofia wasn't even a full ninety days sober when New Years Eve rolled around last year, so she stayed in and pretended the night wasn't even happening to avoid any temptation. But she's got a little over a year under her belt, now, and she's got a lot of friends to support her, so Dale is happy for her when she accepts the invitation to Ricky and Esther's party. It's not a big blowout, but there's a good dozen or so people in their clocktower loft and Dale can appreciate the spectacular skyline views their loft provides, even if the views from Heaven are technically better.

Kingston and Liz are making sure Sofia's always got someone to talk to, and Ricky hands her a soda every time he walks by, regardless of whether or not she finished the last one; Pete talks her into some very bad karaoke when the evening is still pretty young, and Esther checks in with her about some joint Monastery and Society business until Ana and Amelia beg them to put away work for the night. It's chill and celebratory, and Sofia is happy and safe, and Dale delights in seeing her surrounded by friends who have her well-being in mind. He's glad she can enjoy an event like this again safely.

He stops watching just before they ring in the New Year. He's not sure he can handle the look on her face when she doesn't have anyone to kiss at midnight.

**five. a pregnancy test**

Dale didn't know it was possible to feel pain in Heaven. Maybe it's not actually pain, but he's feeling _something_ and it's not pleasant or good or happy. It's... God, he doesn't even know what. He had checked in earlier that day for Thanksgiving, a habit once she started getting sober to make sure she was navigating the holidays okay, and he had noticed the curiously blank look on her face when she eavesdropped on her mother, but as well as he knows his wife he hadn't known what that look meant. Now, as she stalks through the aisles of Duane Reade to leave money on the counter, a pregnancy test charmed to look like Sour Patch Kids in her hand, Dale feels like... like the first time he saw Sofie after he died, when he broke out to see her briefly in Nod and try to explain what had happened to him and then the angels pulled him away again. He feels powerless and desperate and so very, very far away: Sofia needs him and he can't get to her.

She hasn't even taken the test yet but that doesn't matter. Either way, however difficult their visits _had_ been, he thinks that's nothing compared to what's coming.

Dale's never felt the Questing Blade's loss so keenly.


End file.
